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News, notes, rumors, and gossip: Saturday, October 6, 2012

HERE NOW THE NEWS

EXCERPTS FROM EXTERNAL NEWS ARTICLES REGARDING THE NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS ARE POSTED UNDER THEIR SOURCES. MISCELLANEOUS SPORTS ARTICLES ARE POSTED UNDER THE "MISCELLANEOUS" SECTION AT THE END OF THE THREAD. LINKS FOR ALL LISTED SOURCES ARE INCLUDED TO ALLOW MEMBERS TO INDEPENDENTLY BROWSE AT THEIR LEISURE.

Excerpt: "Victor Cruz still looks at the same things on every play. He watches the cornerback before him, and then he eyes the safety, trying to discern the opposition’s coverage scheme.

It’s something he’s done since his days at UMass, he said, but lately, he’s had to hone that presnap detective work more.

“I’ve had no choice,” he said.

For the first time in his brief NFL career, he’s become the focal point of NFL defensive game plans. A year ago, he set the Giants’ single-season receiving yards mark and made 29 catches of 20 yards or more.

This season? Cruz continues to pile up numbers, but the big plays are no longer there. He will enter Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns with only four catches of 20 or more yards, and secondaries use a variety of tactics to shackle him. Yet Cruz continues to pile up numbers; his 32 catches for 388 yards still rank among the NFL leaders." Read more...Osi dares Richardson to come get "candy"

Excerpt: "Osi Umenyiora is in his 10th season and has played alongside plenty of talent from future Hall of Famer Michael Strahan to the youthful Jason Pierre-Paul. He knows excellence and he knows mediocrity and he knows the Giants defensive line hasn’t been living up to the lofty standards it has set for itself.

“There’s no excuses,” Umenyiora said yesterday. “They pay us to do a job. They pay us to stop the run and get after the quarterback and we have to find a way of doing a better job of that.”

Umenyiora will make $6 million this year. Justin Tuck will earn $4.8 million and Jason Pierre-Paul will pocket $2.2 million. But the Giants haven’t gotten much for their money thus far in 2012." Read more...

Excerpt: "The Giants have plenty of experience at plugging holes and replacing injured players. And with defensive tackle Rocky Bernard the latest to be ruled out for tomorrow’s game against Cleveland with an injured quadricep, Big Blue will need to ask some youngsters to step up and veterans to play out of position.

Inexperienced tackles Markus Kuhn and Marvin Austin will be thrust into key roles next to Linval Joseph, a 23-year-old somehow thrust into the unfamiliar role as seasoned leader. And defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck will likely be forced to play inside for several snaps." Read more...

“It’s 10 times more difficult,’’ at this stage of his career, Tom Coughlin admitted in an interview with Giants.com.Coughlin, 66, and the Giants are coming off a 19-17 loss to the Eagles and Coughlin has reviewed the last minute of that game in his mind countless times, figuring what he could have done differently. “It’s not healthy,’’ Coughlin says but yet it’s what he does.

“Losing, it kills you,’’ Coughlin said. “We had a minute and something left. We’re going to win the game. Now, to be honest with you, we always have our timeouts preserved and if we had one timeout in our pocket, I believe we’re going to win the game.’ Read more...

After getting the chance to kick the Giants to victory in Philadelphia and coming up short, there was obvious frustration and disappointment for all involved.

The distance never mattered to Tynes, although the game-winning attempt from 54 yards out was longer than any he had made during his nine-year NFL career.

The result still elicited the same emotion as a chip shot would have – and Tynes had not experienced that sort of emptiness in a while.He had made 25 field goals in a row for the Giants, including preseason and the playoffs since having a second-quarter try blocked during the team’s NFC divisional upset triumph in Green Bay nine months ago on the road to Super Bowl XLVI.

That streak doesn’t make this one any easier to take, of course.

“We lost, so I take it pretty personally that I didn’t come through at the end of the game,” Tynes said. “Regardless of where it was from on the field, I treat every miss the same way. I mean, I can make that kick. It just didn’t work out and it’s frustrating, but I can’t let it affect what I do going forward.” Read more...

Q: When you’ve been an NFL coach for 17 years, you’re inevitably going to have disappointing games like the 19-17 loss last week in Philadelphia, but you have the next game. At this stage of your career, is it harder or easier to move on from those games?

Coughlin: “It’s 10 times more difficult.”

Q: Is it really?

Coughlin: “Losing, it kills you. For whatever reason, whether there’s somewhere in your mind back down the road about having success…you just think, particularly based on our experiences, that when we’re in that position, we’re going to win. We had a minute and something left. We’re going to win the game. Now, to be honest with you, we always have our timeouts preserved and if we had one timeout in our pocket, I believe we’re going to win the game.

“Everybody wants to know about (the last) 15 seconds. Well, let me just tell you about the 15 seconds. With no timeouts, the ball cannot go inside. You’re not going to get another play off. We practice what we call 'cobra' all the time and 'cobra' means the guy who catches the ball gives himself up and declares himself down. You run up on the ball, but when we do it on the practice field, there’s no umpire. There’s nobody that has to put the ball down. There’s nobody waiting for the signal. Eighteen seconds – maybe you can do it. Maybe 15 seconds. I don’t care if it’s a five-yard gain, that’s the last play of the game.

“Over all the years of experience that I’ve had in this league, if you get to one play - I tell this to our defensive coordinator - you get to one play and the team has no timeouts, you’re going to have people stacked along the sideline. Now does that mean you don’t try it? No, of course it doesn’t mean you don’t try it, but what it means is the chances…there are two or three things that can go wrong. One is a pick if you’re forcing it. Two is if you don’t get out of bounds and three – you’re taking a chance. We’re right on the cusp of what his (kicker

) distance was. You’re taking a chance on anything happening. Of course, if you’re sacked, the game is over. If it’s a tip-ball interception, the game is over. Whatever it is. They know where the ball is going. You have to go to the sideline. So there’s risk involved in that, too.

“The third variable that people don’t think about is you’re on the road. If there’s anything in terms of management or anything like that type of a thing, it just doesn’t factor in the way you want to operate. My number one thing was we were going to kick a field goal to win the game. I was not going to put our team in a situation where we walk off the field, saying, ‘Well, we never really had a chance to kick it.’ Were we able to react well after the ( offensive pass interference) penalty? No. Obviously, we didn’t. That would have been the time for, and we almost did get it out of bounds when he scrambled and threw it up and it was right off (Domenik) Hixon’s fingertips, but those are the kinds of things that happen in a game like this.

“When we’re in that position, we believe we’re going to win. The other factor you have to understand is that if you normally send somebody out to kick a field goal on third down, the other guy is a little hesitant about what you’re up to. Which means there is a chance you may not get the rush they normally would have. Now, that’s not what happened. They came with everything they had, but there are people that will play that in a more conservative role because it’s third down.

“To your original question, which I didn’t spend any time answering, the losses are much more difficult to get over the further you are in your career. They’re killers. You don’t sleep. I went on that couch right there at 3 o’clock in the morning and I could not get to sleep because, to be honest with you, I kept going over, over and over saying, ‘How could I have helped our team when it was 15 seconds left?’ Of course, I’ve got all the scenarios the next morning. Sure, it’s easy. But who’s telling you a 44-yarder is an easy field goal? We had made two yards on a run and they know we’re throwing the ball.” Read more..

Limited Participation (LP) = less than 100% of a player’s normal repetitionsFull Participation (FP) = 100% of a player’s normal repetitionsDid Not Participate in Practice (DNP)Out = definitely will not playDoubtful = at least 75% chance will not playQuestionable = 50-50 chance will not playProbable = virtual certainty will be available for normal duty

Excerpt: "There is absolutely no doubt that upon entering the 2012 NFL Season, New York Giants fans had set a high bar: Repeat. There is nothing wrong with that as Head Coach Tom Coughlin wanted to build on the strengths of how 2011 closed and the word continuity has been uttered more than fail has.

The concern at hand when setting sights so high is frustration can arrive faster than a waiver claim for a fantasy sleeper on a Sunday evening. Oh, that and some fans tend to seriously lose any ability to approach a situation with rational thought. Humor isn’t even close to being used and absurd and unfounded comments come through lips that usually part to scream pro-team clichés. Week 4’s painful loss to another division rival (the Philadelphia Eagles) created some ugly ogres – either that or Mr. Hyde came out early from many." Read more...

Excerpt: "Recent babble about the New York Giants defense has been about the front four or injuries. What about the overloaded strength they had going into training camp – the linebacker corps and the secondary?

Unfortunately, much of the pressure and accountability is (and looks to remain) on the secondary. Cover 2 defense is the New York Giants’ base D, sort of. The two safeties are primarily responsible for the two deep zones, but with Perry Fewell, S Antrel Rolle is legitimately all over the place (when he’s not playing nickel). The idea behind the Cover 2 (Tampa-2) is to diminish need for defenders back deep to stop the long pass threat – leaving more of them there to play closer to the line of scrimmage. This provides faster run support and help with the short/dump-off passes and timed routes. However, this is what the Giants are getting punched in the mouth with, consequently letting them get burned on the deep pass." Read more...

Excerpt: "I missed last week's installment of where the scouts were, but for those interested New York Giants scouts were, according to Chris Steuber, at the Indiana at Northwestern game, the Clemson at Boston College game, and the South Carolina at Kentucky game.This might be entirely insignificant, but last week was the third time of the year the Giants went to a South Carolina game.

This week, according to Steuber, Giants' scouts are attending four games: UConn at Rutgers, Illinois at Wisconsin, Florida State at North Carolina State, and Nebraska at Ohio State.

Let's take a look at this week's games. I'm a big proponent of the Giants going heavy on defense in the upcoming draft and if they are looking defense early in the draft Florida State at North Carolina State offers a lot of potential picks." Read more...

Excerpt: "With a game against the Cleveland Browns coming up on Sunday, the New York Giants are without their star wide receiver Hakeem Nicks for the third week in a row. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has guys like Victor Cruz and Domenik Hixon to pick up the pieces, but there are other aspects Nicks brings besides his play on the field.

"You're losing a football player who's not only extremely important to what you do, he's invaluable just in terms of his leadership and his ability in the bigger moment to make the bigger play, so you lose that and you know that you're not going to make it up with one guy," said Gilbride. "What you hope is collectively the rest of everybody will contribute enough that you can make up for his absence to enough of a degree that you win the game. That's what you're looking for."Aside from Nicks' injury, Ramses Barden suffered a concussion last week against the Philadelphia Eagles and will not play.

That leaves the Giants with the rookie Rueben Randle, whose work ethic was called into question by NBC broadcaster Cris Collinsworth earlier in the week. Gilbride reminds everyone that Randle is young and he's improving." Read more...

##

NY Giants' news and notes: Ready or not, Marcus Kuhn and Marvin Austin are next up

Rookie Markus Kuhn and second-year man Marvin Austin, bit players thus far in 2012, could have big roles Sunday with defensive tackle Rocky Bernardout with a quadriceps injury. Head coach Tom Coughlin said Friday "we play with what we have." Kuhn and Austin are what the Giants have.

"I have to step up since Rocky is down," Kuhn said. "I've been practicing all week like I always have and now it's time for me to go out there and improve what I can do even more."

"I know for myself and Markus Kuhn, it's a big opportunity and to whom much is given, much is expected," Austin said. "So we've got to go out there and be prepared and step up." Read more...

Exerpt: "New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride made it clear on Friday why running back Andre Brown didn’t play much during last Sunday’s loss to the Eagles. He said they simply don’t trust Brown in pass protection.

“It’s all about gaining the trust and keep going out there every week and letting them know that I can pass protect and picking up all my blitzes,” Browntold The Newark Star-Ledger. “I just got to keep going out there and taking advantage of all the opportunities that I have and continuing to grow on that side of the game.”Brown believes he’ll only get better.“I’m progressing. I’m still going to go out there every week and work hard, and I know it,” Brown said. “I feel like if I continue to go out there each week and just continue to keep showing progress, I’ll be all right. Eventually, one day I’ll be out there and I’ll gain their trust.” Read more...

Excerpt: "The possibility of a Giants letdown against the winless Browns is not far-fetched. We can very much see the Giants suffering a hangover from their Eagles loss that came so very close to being a last-second win. Being home isn’t always the answer with this Giants team that so often plays better on the road.

The Browns have a shortage of skill and big-play makers, but they play hard and stay in most games playing a hard-nosed, physical style of ball. Their no-name roster will be underdogs all year, but they’d love nothing more than to knock off a distracted Super Bowl champion, especially in enemy territory." Read more...
SITE LINK

Excerpt: "So what exactly was Tyler Sash doing on Sundays for the last month?

"Suffering," said Sash, who had to miss the Giants' first four games due to a suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

"I'd try to be an encouragement to my teammates, sending them texts, and just trying to stay connected to my teammates and stuff like that, definitely the night before the game. But on Sundays I was sitting at home watching the game and it was tough. I can't just watch a game. I feel like if you're a player, you gotta make all the calls and see what you're doing and make all the adjustments and stuff like that." Read more...

"If (Trent) looks on tape and he thinks he sees some candy, come try and get it," Umenyiora said Friday.Umenyiora's challenge came in response to comments Richardson made earlier in the week."I think that if we cover the edges and run hard, no doing all this juking and that, one move and go, I think we can have success in the running game," Richardson said.The Giants rank 22nd in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 118.3 yards per game.Last Sunday night, Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy rushed for 123 yards against them on 23 carries, an average of 5.3 yards per attempt. As a team, the Eagles ran for 191 yards on 36 carries." Read more...
Richardson, 21, Cleveland's first-rounder out of Alabama, has rushed for 222 yards and three touchdowns on 64 carries.SITE LINK

Excerpt: "Giants running back Andre Brown ran the ball very well when Ahmad Bradshaw got hurt early this season, but when Bradshaw was healthy enough to play again on Sunday, Brown went back to the bench. The Giants say that’s a reflection on Brown’s blocking.

Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride told theStar-Ledger that the Giants don’t trust Brown enough in pass protection, which is why he was limited to nine offensive snaps on Sunday against the Eagles. Brown carried the ball on five of those nine snaps, while Bradshaw was on the field for 58 offensive snaps and carried 13 times.

Brown said he knows he needs to do a better job pass blocking so that the coaches are comfortable with him on the field in passing situations.

“It’s all about gaining the trust and keep going out there every week and letting them know that I can pass-protect and picking up all my blitzes,” Brown said. “I just got to keep going out there and taking advantage of all the opportunities that I have and continuing to grow on that side of the game and keep continuing to gain their trust so they can leave me out there.” Read more...

Excerpt: "Michael Boley believes that one of the main reasons the New York Giants won the Super Bowl last season - and remain a solid contender this year in their eyes - is their depth straight across the board.Look no further than on the defensive line.

''You have guys who are willing to step up and fill in,'' said Boley, a linebacker who remains on the Giants' injury report with a hip problem. ''We have a lot of athletes on this team that can step up and play at any time. It shows the team's character. It shows that guys are always prepared.
''We have guys who know that this week could be their turn.''Marvin Austin and Markus Kuhn are two players who realize that Sunday might be their chance to shine along the defensive line. And playing a young and winless team - Cleveland (0-4) - might be a good starting off point." Read more...

Excerpt: "To many, Sunday’s matchup between the winless Cleveland Browns and the defending champion New York Giants has ‘Survivor Pool Pick’ written all over it. The Giants have never started worse than 5-2 under coach Tom Coughlin. And the Browns have not given the Cleveland faithful much reason for hope in the past few years.

But don’t dismiss this game just yet.

The last time these two teams played, the defending champion Giants strutted into Cleveland Browns Stadium on Monday Night Football with a 4-0 record and left with an embarrassing 35-14 defeat. And it was this same week last season when the Seattle Seahawks traveled to the east coast as double-digit underdogs and pulled off an equally stunning 36-25 upset in front of the New York home crowd.

With an unforgiving schedule and high hopes for this season, the Giants can ill afford to take the Browns lightly. And despite their 0-4 record, Cleveland has gone toe-to-toe with three teams that are currently 3-1. Don’t be surprised if one of the matchups below decides the outcome." Read more...

Excerpt: "Week 4 was one of those weeks where a blindfolded dart-tosser could have collected. So many picks that made sense and so many of them coming through. The entire staff (well, sorry Steve, almost the entire staff) posted great cards and, yes, my 12-2 led the way. Included in my pair of misses was a particularly stinging one where the faith I had in Oakland to actually show up in Denver was not repaid. I will not be picking the Raiders this week.

We are now a combined 21-4 when agreeing across the board and you’ll find another six such selections from the team this week. Our lone wolf record took a hit thanks to that Raider loss and now stands at 10-2 on the year. The Colts, Redskins, Chiefs, and Chargers are each backed by a solitary PFF-er this time.

Thanks!! There was some good stuff in there. Matter of fact, can I suggest to post the blog "cover who defense" on the message boards for discussion. I like the blog and wanted to post it there but I didn't want to steal your shine.

Thanks!! There was some good stuff in there. Matter of fact, can I suggest to post the blog "cover who defense" on the message boards for discussion. I like the blog and wanted to post it there but I didn't want to steal your shine.

Sure, no problem.

“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” MB Rule # 1

Thanks RF!
I wish Osi would just be quiet. Who has missed what TR did at Alabama.
*fingers crossed*-we need a win, but I remember 2008.
Always hoping for the best and thank goodness it is at 1 in the afternoon.

Thanks RF!
I wish Osi would just be quiet. Who has missed what TR did at Alabama.
*fingers crossed*-we need a win, but I remember 2008.
Always hoping for the best and thank goodness it is at 1 in the afternoon.

I hate waiting for the game to start. So 1:00 p.m. is perfect.

“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” MB Rule # 1